22.05 Sale of fish. (1) Only rough fish legally taken during the open season by hook and line, spear, or bow and arrow, crossbow or by hand may be sold, purchased, bartered, offered for sale, or under the control or possession of any person for the purpose of sale or barter.
Section 31 NR 22.06 (1) (d) is amended to read:
22.06 Sport fishing. (1) (d) Take rough fish by means of a spear, bow and arrow, crossbow, by hand or landing net or dip nets not to exceed 24 inches in diameter or square from sunrise to sunset only, and bow and arrow or crossbow may be possessed and used for spearing rough fish from sunset to sunrise during the open season for spearing rough fish.
Section 32 NR 22.06 (1) (f) is created to read:
22.06 Sport fishing. (1) (f) May take, catch, kill or fish for flathead or channel catfish with a bow and arrow, crossbow or by hand in boundary waters within Wisconsin.
Section 33 NR 22.11 (26) is created to read:
22.11 Commercial fishing. (26) No person may harvest catfish by hand or with a bow and arrow or crossbow under the authority of a commercial fishing license or for commercial purposes.
Section 34 NR 23.05 (5) is amended to read:
23.05 Hook and line fishing. (5) The seasons, size limits and bag and possession limits for hook and line fishing in the Wisconsin-Michigan boundary waters for the species listed in this subsection, except as provided in s. ss. NR 23.06 and 23.065, are as follows: Section 35 NR 23.065 is created to read:
23.065 Taking catfish by hand or with a bow and arrow or crossbow.
(1) Flathead and channel catfish may be taken by hand, bow and arrow or crossbow in boundary waters within Wisconsin subject to the season dates, daily bag limits and size limits established in s. NR 20.20. (2) No person may take catfish by hand with the aid of or while in possession of artificial nests or spawning boxes, ropes, gaffes, hooks, grapples or similar gear for snagging catfish, or breathing devices including but not limited to snorkeling and SCUBA gear.
Section 36 NR 25.05 (3) (h) is created to read:
25.05 Open seasons; size limits; possession and harvest limits. (3) Possession and harvest limits. (h) Take catfish with a bow and arrow, crossbow or by hand.
Section 38. Statement of Emergency. An emergency rule is necessary to preserve the public welfare by continuing to provide opportunities for good fishing while maintaining sustainable catfish populations. Catfish are a game fish and existing regulations aim to provide quality hook and line fishing experiences to Wisconsin anglers. Establishing season dates, size limits, bag limits and equipment restrictions for harvesting catfish with a bow, crossbow or by hand will help protect catfish from overharvest as they move into their wintering habitat. This emergency rule is necessary in order to have these regulations in place during the winter while a companion permanent rule is still in development.
Section 40. Board adoption. This rule was approved and adopted by the State of Wisconsin Natural Resources Board on October 24, 2018.
Section 39. Effective Date. This rule takes effect upon publication in the official state newspaper, as provided in s. 227.24(1)(c), Stats. Dated at Madison, Wisconsin ______12/10/18_____________________.
STATE OF Wisconsin DNR
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
BY _____Ed Eberle__________________________
for Daniel L. Meyer, Secretary
(SEAL)
